Transcripts For CSPAN National Space Council Meeting 20240714

Future achievements are empowered by the past achievements. The things that you will be discussing today will one day be enshrined in this museum. Dont forget about us, we need hardware. Last month that our museum in washington, at the unveiling of Neil Armstrongs apollo 11 ship, Vice President pence spoke about the renewed commitment to human spaceflight. And at the National Air Space museum, we see evidence of that commitment every day. Countless children have stood in this very spot and marveled up at the Space Shuttle discovery, parents,ed to their grandparents or teachers to ask how something so big could fly so high. Our museum is where the country comes to understand its heritage of adventure and discovery, and to pass that torch on to new generations. We are at the dawn of a new space age, with a challenge to return to the moon and beyond. The americans who will make those first flights, including the first woman on the moon and the first humans on mars, were not allowed to see our first steps on to another world. We must recapture the energy, scope and complexity of our first moonshot for those who were not born in time to see it, but more are called on now to repeat it. This summer the museum celebrated that bold spirit with a program we called go for the moon. This involve projecting a saturn five63 foot rocket onto the highest point in the nations capital, the washington monument. Degrees at 9 00 in the morning on july 16, 1969 when the real apollo 11 launched in florida. It was that hot in washington, d. C. At night. Despite the heat, half a Million People came out to see our rocket on the national mall. On the night of the 50th anniversary, we recreated the launch in historys most powerful rocket with full light and sound effects. The ground shook and the air glowed red with the flames from the engine. Looking at the faces of the children in the crowd, you could tell that they felt the connection to that moment in 1969 when, for the first time in human history, the moon was within reach. And for the children who will stand on this spot later today and marvel at the discovery, the moon is again within their grasp. Earlier this year, Vice President pence noted that president kennedy called for an american on the moon at the end of the decade will before we knew how to make it happen. Same boldke that commitment to american ideas and innovations to meet the challenge to return to the moon and on to mars. We are grateful to Vice President pence and the National Space council for their leadership and support as we work to educate and inspire a new generation of innovators and explorers. It is now my great pleasure to welcome the chair of the National Space council, and a Vice President of the United States, the honorable mike pence. [applause] v. P. Pence thank you for that kind introduction. Thank you for your tremendous stewardship and your tremendous leadership. Will you join me in thanking the doctor for her outstanding [applause] its all the members of the National Space council, to our Advisory Group, all of whom who very quietly came on stage. They all deserve a big round of applause. They are extraordinary americans taking a difference for American Leadership and space. Would you join me in thanking them. [applause] to our gracious host, the smithsonian institution. , itough men and women here is a great honor to be with you today. Thank you for your patience today. Thank you for your attendance today, and welcome to the sixth meeting of the National Space council. A was three years ago that candidate for president came alongside his new running mate and he said to you know this thing called the National Space council has laid dormant for more than 25 years and i was wondering if you would like to follow in the tradition of past Vice President s and share a renewed National Space council . I looked at him and i said, what i . A leader whoinking is committed to securing americas leadership on earth and in the vast expanse of space. Join me in thanking the 45th president of the United States of america. President donald trump. [applause] his leadership has made a difference. You will he or about that today. It was nearly two years ago right here at the national air and space museum that we held the first meeting of the National Space council. So we could think of no better place to hold our sixth meeting. We are going to reflect on the progress that we have made our administration and how the United States is on track in our efforts to expand and her new American Leadership in space. And really, i can become no better time. No better time to be here and to celebrate the progress of our renewed leadership. Because it was one month ago the world played paid tribute to three extraordinary american of apollo, the crew 11, and the 400,000 men and women who stood behind them 50 years ago. And onene small step giant leap. [applause] and what a great celebration it was. So many of you were a part of it. Not only at our nations capital, but all across the country. It was deeply humbling for me to be able to spend time with many of the men and women, and heroes that made that moment possible. That they secured American Leadership in space. Here today we do so recognizing it has been 47 years since the last american set foot on the moon. Our great shuttle program, including the Space Shuttle discovery behind the truth is as all of you know, for too long, america was content with lowearth orbit and missions focused on the earth instead of aiming for the stars. But im proud to report under President Trumps leadership, all of that is changing. As the president said in his inaugural address, we stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space. And thats exactly what we are doing. [applause] its true. After two and half years under the president leadership, america is leading in space once again. This president recognizes what the American People have known for more than half a century. And i can assure you the American People are ready for the next chapter in our nations history in space. So at the president s direction, we put an end to decades of budget to budget cuts and declines and we renewed , americas commitment that human Space Exploration vowing to go further into space, farther and faster than ever before. Thats what in her first year in office pdent tmp signed space policy directive one, making it the National Policy of the United States of america to return to the moon and prioritize crewed missions to the lunar surface. Std one marked a watershed moment in americas Space Enterprise, and with it president finally gave nasa that clear direction and Clear Mission that it needed. As he said, we will return american astronauts to the moon for the First Time Since 1972. For longterm exploration to use not only to plant our flag and leave our footprint, but we will go there to establish a foundation for an eventual mission to mars. [applause] earlier this year President Trump made it the policy of this administration to return to the moon by 2024, and ensure that the next man and the first woman on the moon will be american astronauts. [applause] the Artemis Mission has already begun. We are well on our way to making nasas mission to mars a reality. You will hear more about that today. To get nasa ready for this mission the president signed largestaw the agencys budget ever, and as we speak when working with congress to add an additional 1. 6 billion to support our renewed commitment to human Space Exploration. The space launch system known as sls, the worlds most powerful rocket will launch american astronauts toward the moon, will be fully assembled by the end of this year. Last month we marked the cancer the cap school complete on the orion capsule. It is the spacecraft that we all know will sit on top of the sls and it will carry the first crewed ship designed to deep Space Exploration in half a century. And just last week we announced the Marshall Space Flight center in huntsville, alabama will lead development of our new lunar lander, and working with Johnson Space center in houston, texas, we will ensure that a new generation of astronauts have a stateoftheart vessel to reach the lunar surface safely and return by 2024. We are going to get it done. [applause] in fact, administrator bridenstine told me that with strong congressional support that we have got we can actually , start bending metal on the lander in the next year. Whatever that means. [applause] im proud to report also weve empowered our commercial partners. In recent months spacex successfully docked its automated crew dragon capsule at the interNational Space station. Blue origin tested engine for its own lunar lander, and boeing is working hard to launch its first crewed vehicle by the end of this year. And working with our Industry Leaders, before the year is out, the United States will once again send american astronauts into space from american rockets from american soil. [applause] so were making great progress, but we have new ambitions in this still new century. Americas not only going to return to the moon, but were going to return there with new objectives. Because unlike a half a century ago, this time our objective will be to establish a permanent presence on the lunar surface. From there we will develop the capabilities to journey to the red planet of mars. In order for us to take the next big leap toward the martian surface, you all here know that we have to demonstrate that we can live on the moon for months and even years. We are to learn how to make use of all available resources to sustain human life and all our activities in space, including by mining the vast quantities of lifesustaining water thats frozen in ice on our lunar poles. And once we return to the moon we are going to develop the technologies to live and thrive in a multimonth expedition at its south pole. Using what we learn on the moon, will bring us closer to the day as the president said that american astronauts will plant the stars and stripes on the surface of mars. [applause] in fact, within the last year, American Technology touched down want to get on martian soil as all of the world witnessed the Insight Mission touched down and marked our eighth successful landing on mars. And even now the minute win at men and women at nasa are hard at work identifying those areas of the red planet that would be most suitable for human exploration. We are not only planning to go. We are preparing to go. Much like the Apollo Missions when our Space Program relied on tools and methods that didnt exist when the mission was established, achieving our Ambitious Goals will depend on Innovative Technologies including those that our panelists are going to talk about today. But unlike during apollo, this time our efforts will not rely entirely on government action. Instead we will go forward into that Bright Future with the strong support of our private partners and international allies. Already nasa is working with Industry Leaders to develop plans for the lunar gateway, a critical outpost and refueling station that will help us develop the technologies, test systems and train the astronauts for the first ever crewed journey to mars. Our moon to mars mission is on track, and america is leading in human Space Exploration again. Dont you doubt it. [applause] as we will also talk about, under the president s leadership, weve also unleashed americas commercial space industry as never before. As the president said memorably not long ago, rich guys love rockets. We have taken steps to make it possible for american entrepreneurs to invest and to help america develop the technologies that will carry American Leadership into space. As secretary ross will no doubt reflect again today, we are streamlining the licensing regimes that oversee launch, reentry and new operations in space. We are removing unnecessary regulations that it increased that had increased cost and stifled innovation. All of thats happened over the last two and half years. Weve encouraged a more stable and orderly space environment by developing the worlds First Comprehensive space Traffic Management policy. And as we have restored confidence in the opportunities of space, weve helped drive incredible Economic Growth. Just two years ago, the satellite industry alone generated some 350 billion in revenue. And studies predict that number will increase to more than 1 trillion annually in the next two decades. And more than ever, space is recognized as the industry of the future. In the first half of this year, we have seen almost as much invested in Space Companies as we did in the entire year before. In fact, in the last decade more than 22 billion has been has been invested in nearly 500 different Space Companies. And im proud to say the majority of those investments have been made in American Space businesses. America is leading in public and private investment. [applause] but as we all know as we lead in human Space Exploration, as we lead an American Innovation and leadership in space, we also must lead in security. For the sake of our security both are on earth and in the heavens above, President Trumps direction, we are working with congress as we speak to stand up a new branch of our armed forces. And Soon Congress will approve and the president will sign the sixth branch of the armed forces of the United States, the United States space force. [applause] as the president has said, we all recognize, it has been frankly true for decades, in his words space is a war fighting domain. United States Space Force will ensure that our nation is prepared to defend our people, to defend our interests, and to defend our values in the vast expanse of space and here on earth with the technologies that will support our common defense vast reaches of outer space. Next week we will formally stand up a new unified combatant command. It will be known as United States Space Command. And i am pleased announce that we will recognize its new leader, 4star air force general john raymond will be the first lead of the United States Space Command. [applause] thank you, general. And, and before i move on from general raymond, let me mention another general who is with us here today. General joe dunford, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. He has served this nation throughout his long career in uniform with extraordinary distinction. He has played a Critical Role in ensuring the National Defense of the United States, and he will be concluding his duties as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff in the months ahead. And would you all mind getting on your feet and just showing how much we appreciate the extraordinary life and career and leadership of general joe dunford . [applause] thank you general. , thank you for service and thank you for your leadership. Particularly on the matters pertaining to American Leadership in space. It is a historic contribution, and i know the president feels as i do that we would not be at this historic moment without your leadership and your support. Later this morning we are going to hear more about our administrations progress toward a new unified Defense Agreement to defend Americas National security space assets and also ensure our collective defense. But for all that we have accomplished, the greatest triumphs of American Leadership in space still lie ahead, and you will hear about those plans today. The National Space council today will send new policy recommendations to the president that will help drive even greater cooperation between our government, our commercial partners, and likeminded nations across the world, nations that share our values of democracy, freedom and the rule of law. We will build on the success of the interNational Space station interNational Space station by working with our friends and allies to support a moon landing in 2024, to develop sustainable longterm lunar surface operations, and to build a spacecraft that will carry us to mars. We will also continue to unleash the creative powers of americas commercial Space Enterprise. This council will recommend today steps that will encourage innovation and ensure American Companies have a level Playing Field they need to compete and win in space. And we will continue to transform nasa into a leaner, more accountable and more agile organization. Isnt that right, jim . Yes, sir. Mr. Pence good. Well make it easier than ever to recruit and retain the brightest scientists, engineers and managers and will hit our goals, and we will make new American History in space. President trump tasked the National Space council with reigniting and reinvigorating the american Space Program, and im humbled and proud at the same time to say thats exactly what this team has done. And thats what were going to continue to do with the support of so many of you gathered here today. As President Trump said, in his words, it is americas destiny to be the leader amongst nations on our adventure into the great unknown. Thats why the National Space council was reconstituted, and thats what brought us here today. While the task before us involved hardship and hazard, sacrifice and perseverance, we know with the men and women of apollo 11 knew 50 years ago, and that is simply this. That americans can accomplish anything we set our minds to. And america will lead the world back into the vast expanse of space. [applause] so thank you all for being here today. We are grateful to the members of National Space council, our Advisory Group, all the experts and Industry Leaders who are joining us here today. And i look very much forward to our dialogue and our discussion, and, and the support that i see in this room, the support that i hear from not only people involved in the great Space Enterprise across this country, but from Everyday Americans from every walk of life, convinces me that weve only just begun to renew American Leadership in space. So thank you all, thank you all for your support. Thank you for your presence here today. Lets get to work. [applause] well, thank you everyone. Thank you for your kind attention. Were going to get right down to business. We are joined today here at the udvarhazy center. And lets give the smithsonian another round of applause, will you . This is a spectacular place that inspires the imagination of americans every day. [applause] in additto allhe members of the National Space council, were joined by a number of distinguished guests in the audience, and i want to thank each and every one of you for being with us today. Its hard for me to look around this room and not recognized virtually everyone in every seat, and yet this is just a small sampling, isnt it, jim of , the incredible leadership of americas public and private Space Enterprise. So give yourself a round of applause. We are grateful you are here. [applause] todays meeting of the National Space council will provide updates from our Council Members on ongoing work to help secure American Leadership in space. We are going to hear from scientists and Industry Leaders about innovations that will drive the next era of human Space Exploration. We are going to discuss a new set of recommendations as i mentioned in my formal remarks. To begin with id like to ask dr. Mary lynne dittmar, who is president of the coalition for deep Space Exploration, to bring us some updates on our User Advisory Group activities at the last meeting in march. Mary lynne, we appreciate your extraordinary leadership and career. Join me in thanking all of the User Advisory Group, many of whom are in the front row, for their contributions to the National Space council. Thank you, all. Would you all standing up . User Advisory Group, take a bow. [applause] dr. Dittmar, quick report on the User Advisory Group. Dr. Dittmar mr. Vice president , and distinguished members of the National Space council, thank you for inviting me to provide an update on the activities of the users Advisory Group. As you all know, the objectives, scope of activities, and description of duties of the uag is defined as statute, executive order and the charter of the National Space council users Advisory Group dated december 6, 2017 signed by the acting nasa administrator. While the unga is a ministry of the charter and supported under nasa, the Group Functions exclusively in an independent advisory capacity to the National Space council, reporting to you the National Space Council Executive secretary. Mr. Vice president , you have repeatedly challenged the uag to function as a think tank in addition to advisory role spelled out in its title. It is intended to be a conduit for new ideas. It also offers sometime different but hopefully constructive commentary on conventional wisdom which we often note is sometimes too conventional and not nearly wise enough. Organizationally the uag is divided into six subcommittees that reflect precisely the priorities that you and our retired chairman james ellis discussed prior to them for that its omission in the since a meeting in march. We reviewed the scope a specific task in which he gave us for this year. The exploration and discoveries subcommittee led by retired general liles is structuring and structuring a onetime review of nasas newly named Artemis Program focus on its , architecture, tactical planning, organizational structure and leadership. The fact that general liles also will ensure that the uag draws on the work of that nasa committee and offering independent advice to you. As you know, admiral ellis is chairman of the National Security subcommittee and leads a very Capable Group with the required security certain clearances. This has been on the organizational structure and functionality of the emerging s. As part of their review, they received a high level classified briefing from the department of defense and Intelligence Community on the process and progress of implementation planning in anticipation of pending congressional action. I and my colleague eric stormer president of the commercial , spaceflight federation, cochair of the Economic Development and Industrial Base subcommittee. As you directed we are first assessing how best to look at space spectrum issues including both process and content in this critical area. We are also considering additional recommendations for regulatory process reform to move beyond nasa and accelerating the lower Orbit Development and beyond. Retired colonel federal astronaut commander pam malware leads the technology and innovation subcommittee. The committee is focused on assessing the status of the nasa Space Exploration roadmap specifying Space Technologies to be explored, alternatives to be compared and timelines that must be met. The results of that review will determine whether Additional Support to the subcommittee on National Academy of Sciences Engineering and medicine is required. Retired colonel collins space chairs ond commander outreach and education. I will see more about outreach in a minute. On the education and training side, her committee is committed to developing actionable recommendations to enhance space related and Engineering Education at all levels. She has innovatively begun to draw speakers on stem from the National Committee of at legislators and from universities with nasa involvement to gain a broader perspective on education and workforce issues. The final group is base policy and interNational Space policy engagement subcommittee is led by dr. David wolf, astronaut , space walker, medical doctor, electrical engineer and your fellow hoosier. The committee will include guidelines, behavioral norms and technical standards affecting interNational Space cooperation and deconfliction. We have followed the successful outcome of the 62nd session of the United Nations on the peaceful uses of outer space and a planned a session with the department of state to ensure we understand the administrations space goals and objectives in the diplomatic arena. Separately as the users Advisory Group to the National Space council enters its second year, we are reviewing the charter for updating to better define the organizational structure, required resources and to streamline work processes. We know that you agree that an ongoing and active role of uag is important to the success of the administrations effort to marshall a whole of Government Strategy to u. S. Space. Finally as i noted earlier, mindful we were in panel to represent all users in space, members of the users Advisors Group have participated in major domestic and interNational Space events, and many in conjunction with the wonderful nationwide celebration of the 50th anniversary of apollo 11. Referenced earlier. We will continue to serve as the eyes and ears of your National Space council, seeking input and ideas, issues and innovations, scientists and engineers, students and teachers, experienced aerospace veterans at all levels, and importantly, the upandcoming new generation of space professionals. Mr. Vice president , on behalf of the users Advisors Group and its chairman, admiral ellis, thank you for the update opportunity. Whatever we go at wherever we go at home or abroad with , whomever we speak, we see a new energy, and new vitality in the Space Community. We appreciate the focus that you and the National Space council have brought to our nations role in space, and we look forward to continuing to support your efforts and to our shared contribution to the future of the nations Space Enterprise. I would be pleased to take any questions. Mr. Pence great, thank you, dr. Dittmar. And i dont see him through the bright lights, but admiral jim ellis is the chairman of User Advisory Group. I dont know if hes with us today, but you can give him a big round of applause as well. Great work he did. [applause] [applause] the admiral and the whole team are doing questions of the panel, User Advisory Group, anything to do with reports that were made and were give us an opportunity, ok. Thank you, dr. Dittmar, thanks all the members of User Advisory Group for outstanding, outstanding work. Now we move to some reports by members of the National Space council. And im going to recognize our secretary of commerce, wilbur ross, who has been involved in working on space Traffic Management, Regulatory Reform and is almost as excited about American Innovation in space as the president and me. So join me in thanking the secretary of commerce for his great leadership. [applause] sec. Ross thank you, Vice President pence, for the opportunity to update the National Space council on space activities at the department of commerce. Last year there were 114 government and private space launches worldwide. The first time in three decades that that number exceeded 100. U. S. Had 31 launches, including a Record Number of commercial launches, but china had 39. More than 80 countries have now entered the space industry, often playing under different rules from what we have. These countries realize that space is a strategic industry that creates a highly technical workforce with spinoff technologies and Economic Growth. This was evident at the paris air show, which highlighted u. S. Leadership, but also made clear the substantial efforts of foreign governmentbacked entities to surpass us. 75 of space industry revenues are now commercial. We intend to keep the United States as the flag of choice, as the global space industry moves from 415 billion of revenues to 1 trillion within the next 20 years. Commerce department is actively pursuing the space Traffic Management goals outlined in space policy directive three. Our Strong Partnership with the department of defense will modernize Space Situational Awareness capabilities. Mark daily, a Senior Executive with experience in both Defense Space commerce, leads the Commerce Departments ssa landing team at the 18 space control squadron at Vandenberg Air force base. Our joint ssa efforts will help avoid the destructive impact of space debris. Even as space activities grow more complex and global in nature. In response to our april 2019 rfi, more than 50 academic and Industry Partners submitted Creative Ideas to limit the creation of new space debris. Through satellite design, improved ssa, and Early Mission deorbit. The Commerce Department role is critically important, given the plans of commercial industry to launch thousands of mass produced satellites in constellation. Commerce is developing an open architecture Data Repository for space debris information. This will allow us to provide conjunction notifications to the u. S. And global commercial Space Industries in the near future. The new repository will incorporate private sector innovations to track and avoid space debris, and that in turn will facilitate new commercial space services. Under space policy directive two, to eliminate or extreme line regulations, we are revising remotesensing and export control rule. We have received extensive feedback from u. S. Companies in the fast developing and extremely competitive Global Market for remote sensing. Our immediate goal is a new draft rule that encourages domestic innovation while ensuring Global Competitiveness and market leadership of American Companies. Commerce is working with the state department and other agencies to review Public Comments on our march proposed rule so that we can issue a final rule this fall. An industry date i hosted in april, we discussed the need to maintain export controls with some countries while streamlining them for others. Within the Commerce Department, we have reestablished the office of space commerce that had been dormant for decades. It is the only u. S. Government entity charged with pursuing the unique interests of the commercial space industry. The commercial industry has said repeatedly that it needs an advocate, a onestop shop in its dealings with both u. S. Government and foreign governments. So we continue to work within the administration and with congress to establish a bureau of space commerce that will give commerce the resources needed to execute the Space Councils directives. Thank you, mr. Vice president. I look forward to our discussion. Mr. Pence well thank you very , much, mr. Secretary. You can give the secretary of commerce a round of applause. [applause] wilbur, thank you. Thank you so much for your tremendous efforts, and i want to offer my congratulations. You mentioned the work in april, but the Space Enterprise summit at the department of commerce cohosted in june. I think you have also spoken about. And i hope that our private Industry Partners see the tremendous commitment by the president and our department of commerce to enlivening, enliveng private investment and development. Ill ask members of the panel to throw a question at the secretary, but quick question. The new commercial remotesensing regulations are being developed at commerce. Can you speak about when those will be completed or amplify the points you made . Sec. Ross yes. We think by the end of october we should have that work completed. Mr. Pence ok. Outstanding. Any other questions from members of the panel for the secretary of commerce . Ok. Were very grateful, wilbur. Thank you so very much in all of and all of your remarks will be included in the record as prepared. Next, id like to recognize the administrator of nasa, Jim Bridenstine, who has become a great friend of mine. He is a great champion for American Leadership in space. He is he was given a charge by the president of the United States to return americans to the moon by 2024 and make sure the first astronauts on mars are americans. And jim, i know i speak on behalf of the president when i appreciate the energy you have brought to this effort. We should not be terribly surprised that a navy f18 pilot was ready to move out and move out quickly, but join me in thanking the administrator of nasa for his tremendous efforts, and jim, look forward to your report. [applause] thank you thank you so much, mr. Vice president. It is an honor to serve in this position. Just yesterday i was at the white house, Briefing Members of the National Security council on our plans to go to the moon and on to mars. And while i was there, victoria coates brought in a box of m ms. And i said and by the way, these are not just these are President Trump m ms. Not just any m ms. And i said now, what is it all about . She said m and m, moon and mars. She said make sure you show this to everybody because we are going to the moon because are going to mars. The president has been very clear. We will put an American Flag on mars. So mr. Vice president , you can have the m ms. A couple of things that think are important to note. So i guessyou importantly gave us that charge back in march, a number things have changed. And ill just kind of go through one at a time. As you mentioned earlier today, lowearth orbit. That is a great opportunity for us to figure out how to do things commercially. We have commercial crew on the brink of being ready. We have commercial resupply already resupplying the interNational Space station. And recently we announced that we have some objectives to achieve a more commercial nature in lowearth orbit, starting with creating both the demand side and the supplyside. So on the demand side we are looking at two lines of efforts that we believe could have major breakthroughs for basically activities in lowearth orbit, starting with industrialized biomedicine and then advanced materials. Those two lines of effort, if we can do experiment after experiment, iterating one after another, i believe in the next three to seven years, we can have a strong breakthrough that will result in demand for access to lowearth orbit. Now, thats going to take an effort and a change of philosophy on how we utilize the interNational Space station to station nation. Space station. It is also true, mr. Vice president , that just a few short months ago we announced that we are doing things to increase supply of activities in lowearth orbit. Were going to make available commercial crew seats for industry so that they can take space, whether its researchers or manufactures or even tourists, to the interNational Space station. We also want to make the interNational Space station itself available for more people, so were looking at additional habitation, using the port for commercial operations on the interNational Space station. And each of these activities will increase lywhe at the same time working really hard to generate demand with an eventual effort, and of course, weve got procurements underway that we are interested in seeing what industry can provide. But we want to have free flyers in lowearth orbit that are commercial in nature. These are things we are striving to in lowearth orbit. Remember why were commercializing. I think this is important for everybody on the National Space council. Why are we commercializing . Because we want to use the resources that the taxpayers give to us to go to the moon, following space policy directive one, to go sustainably, to go with commercial partners and international partners, to utilize the resources on the moon, the water ice, mr. Vice president , you talked about on the south pole. Use that as lifesupport. How do we live for months on another planetary body so that ultimately we can take all of that knowledge on to mars . What we do in lowearth orbit matters because we want to go to the moon and on to mars. And interestingly, just last week, i was at the Assembly Facility in new orleans, and i know, mr. Vice president , you have been keenly focused on the sls rocket. And i will tell you what i saw there was eye watering. We say the words that it is fourfifths complete. I would say it is well over 90 complete. The engine section was the long pole and the tent, it was on the Critical Path. We removed the engine section from the Critical Path that we integrated the rest of the rocket horizontally. It is a beautiful thing to see in the horizontal, and this week and next week will be integrating the engine section into the rest of the rocket, and by the end of this year, as you quickly said earlier, were going to move that rocket out of the factory, and we are going to test it. And i will tell you yes. [applause] so these are it was exciting to see that, and i will tell you, mr. Vice president , not just the first sls, but the hardware for the second sls is already being put into place and will start to be assembled very soon as well. So very exciting times down at the Assembly Facility, and as you were there just last month, mr. Vice president , when you announce the orion crew capsule complete with the European Service module, we are very close to shipping that up to plum brook station where it will be tested, thermal vacuum testing as well as emi testing. All of those very exciting activities are underway. We also, since the last National Space council, we have gone under contract for the first element of the gateway, the power and proportional element, solar electric propulsion for that command module in and around the moon for the next 15 years, so that is a great development. And by the way, the reason that was able to go so fast, mr. Vice president , is because of the charge to be ready by 2024, to land not just the next man but also the first woman on the south pole of the moon. That charge is really what changed the dynamic to make that go so fast, that acquisition element. On that gateway we are moving as fast as we can, rapid acquisition is what we call a minihab, just a small habitation module attached to the propulsion. It is a longterm solution that would help get our astronauts on the orion into a lander and land on the surface of the moon. We not last week we announced that that land on talking about is going to be managed out of the Marshall Space Flight center. And it is absolutely true, mr. Vice president , the Johnson Space center is going to be very involved in that. Certainly when it comes to Environmental Control and lifesupport systems, there is no place on the planet better than the Johnson Space center when it comes to human to machine interface, no place better than johnson as well. And, of course, when it comes to mission planning, the astronaut office, a lot of capability, both at marshall and at johnson, to get this National Project underway. And as you are aware, mr. Vice president , in the last month since the last National Space march council we also named the program artemis. I think that is a significant milestone. It was you whorote the speech yourself, and i was there when you did it and you said were , we are going to put the first woman on the moon. I will tell you that has , energized so many people, my daughter included, she is 11 years old. She claims she wants to be a teacher right now, but she is certainly excited about landing a woman on the moon. I will like to say its, you , know, 50 years ago we had apollo, and it just so happens that in greek mythology, apollo had a twin sister. Her name was artemis. She was the goddess of the moon. This time when we go to the moon, we go with a very diverse highly qualified core of astronauts that includes women and it is long overdue. So were very excited about this. [applause] and then lastly i think it is important to remember the moon to mars. When we think about what we are doing next, the reason that gateway is so important is that is absolutely a gateway to the surface of the moon, and we want to do long durations on the surface of the moon using the gateway. It is also evolvable. It is an opportunity for us to take humans deeper into space than we have ever gone before, in human history, and in fact, that is our ship to get to mars. And by the way, if we have the right investments today with advanced propulsion i know we are going to hear maybe little bit about nuclear thermal advancedn propulsion and the ability to do entry dissent and landing with 20 metric ton payloads into the Martian Atmosphere and onto the martian surface. These are investments that are not much more than what we are already spending. We can put together a really robust mars plan in keeping with the direction to put an American Flag on mars. So mr. Vice president , things have changed since march, and were moving rapidly under your direction and the direction of President Trump. Thank you. [applause] mr. Pence thank you very much, jim. Thanks for the great report, and mostly thanks for your energetic and enthusiastic leadership of the president s vision for space. And im going to take this box of m ms back to the president right after you sign it. Hell know even better today that you got the message. Its m and m. Thats worth remembering. Dr. Calvin droegemeier is the director of the office of science and technology, and the a minister just mentioned our efforts to update the approval process for launching Space Nuclear Power Sources. And dr. Droegemeier has a report for us on that. Give us some words on progress. Thank you, doctor. Mr. Droegemeier thank you, mr. Vice president. Its a pleasure and honor to be here with you today. As we more of that new generation of Space Missions that you so eloquently described in your remarks and administrator brighton stein have Jim Bridenstine has said, this time we go to stay. The challenge is achieving a a persistent human presence in space and on other worlds. That is, staying there will require the development and application of wide range of advanced technologies including lightweight and longlasting Energy Sources that can support human life and expiration exploration activities in the most austere and inhospitable environments. Now over many decades as we will others, nasa has relied on systems on mars, the endures solar system and other locations where alternative Power Sources have been inadequate. Some of these environments are far too dark for solar power, or theyre too far away to carry sufficient supplies of chemical fuels. In the dawning new era of american Space Exploration we just heard about expiration into deep space, Nuclear Powered sources will remain critical to the fullest realization of our scientific and exploration objectives. For modest power we need isotopic thermal generators which are essentially Nuclear Batteries, can use energy of radioactive decay to generate electricity for even decades. But for higher power needs, Small Nuclear reactors provide heating and electricity and also spacecraft propulsion needs. So as we look forward and we also look outward, we must ensure that america can safely develop Nuclear Space systems and enhance our ability for Space Exploration, our operational capabilities and also the potential for increased commercial space activities as administrator bridenstine just mentioned. Over a year ago the office of science and Technology Policy begin reviewing existing Nuclear Space launch policy, and as i reported at this counsels march meeting in huntsville, that led to the creation of an Interagency Working Group ostp and our colleagues at the National Space council. That working groups mandate was to develop recommendations for the Space Council to establish updated and risk informed processes for launching Space Nuclear systems that are funded or licensed by the federal government. Our primary objective is to ensure rigorous and effective nuclear, safety analysis and review are conducted prior to the process the launch of any Space Nuclear system. To get into that want to leverage past experience wherever we can. To that end we much provide clear guidelines to a Mission Planners on launch Approval Authority to ensure launch safety is maintained. We also want to ensure a positive response, a positive safety analysis and launch authorization process that is forwardlooking. We think about the future that allows the federal government as we just heard the private sector , to effectively use Space Nuclear systems as we return to the moon and we venture far beyond. Finally, we seek to strengthen the existing process for launching Space Nuclear systems in ways that will better ensure rigorous risk informed Safety Assessment without excessive redundancy or wasted time and cost. So at the councils urging since last march we have continued these review activities, mr. Vice president , in close cooperation with the National Security council. We have now finalized a set of recommendations we believe meet the objective i just outlined. We asked the Council Approve these recordation updating the existing process to launch a spacecraft containing Space Nuclear systems. Closing like to reiterate a in point i made at our last meeting, and namely that ensuring a rigorous launch safety process is essential to using Space Nuclear systems, but we cant stop there. We must not stop there. Moving forward must also focus on ensuring that we sustain the skills here in america and we also develop the technologies needed to provide Space Nuclear systems that are ready to propel as well as power future American Spacecraft. I look forward to working with all of you in implementing this and other policy initiatives that will be necessary for sustaining strengthen American Leadership in space. Thank you very much, mr. Vice president , for your leadership and for your support. Thank you, sir. [applause] mr. Pence were going to move on to National Security issues in a moment. Im going to ask of the members of the panel to submit your reports in writing, with one exception. Steven bradbury is the general counsel to the department of transportation, and the president and i couldnt be more grateful to secretary elaine chao for the energetic efforts that dot has made to update regulations regarding space launch, and with our commitment that invigorating and continuing to see the private Space Enterprise develop. I wanted to recognize Steven Bradbury for a quick update on department of transportation activi steven. Mr. Bradbury thank you, mr. Vice president , members of the Space Council and distinguished guests. On behalf of secretary chao, im pleased to update the council of the department of transportation efforts to streamline the licensing of commercial space launches and reentries, and on d. O. T. s activities regarding satellitebased navigation. First, on april 15 of this year, in accordance with the president s space policy directive two, the department of transportation with the faa published a notice of proposed rulemaking for a major streamlining of faas commercial space launch and reentry regulations. This proposal represents a great deal of work by many people at the faa and in the office of secretary. And it was produced in near record time. It was developed with input from experts in the faa, the commercial space industry, and other departments and agencies across the federal government. Consistent with the president s instructions, the proposed rule would replace outdated prescriptive requirements with more flexible performancebased criteria. It would allow us to license different types of commercial Space Operations and vehicles to a single streamlined set of procedures. And it would dramatically reduce the size and complexity of the faas commercial space licensing regulations. Comments on the rule from dozens of individuals including 15 submissions asking more than 100 clarifying questions. Which the faa has endeavored to address in the public rulemaking record. Its obvious the proposed rule has generated a lot of interest and a lot of questions. To allow for greater input, the department extended the Public Comment to 126 days and just closed yesterday, august 19. Also in response to industry requests for face to face input, the faa held a series of meetings with individual commercial Space Operators and their representatives. Faa honored all requests and met with representatives from blue origin, spacex, virgin galactic, virgin orbit, boeing, lockheed martin, united launch alliance, and the coalition for deep Space Exploration. Dot publish a synopsis in the sessions in the public docket. The faas digesting the comments and information we received and will be hard at work over the coming months to address concerns and consider potential revisions to improve the final rule. We are committed to achieving a licensing framework that enables flexibility and innovation in operations, including where appropriate by relying on advisory circulars and on methods of compliance developed operators in lieu of prescriptive rules. Our goal is to publish a final rule by early fall of next year. We are confident this rulemaking rulemaking will bolster americas leadership in the commercial space sector through a smarter, more efficient licensing process, one that lowers the burden and cost of Regulatory Compliance while ensuring protection of life, property, and National Security. Now let me turn briefly to satellitebased navigation. Under National Security president ial directive 39, issued in december 2004, the United States is committed to developing, maintaining, and modernizing the Global Positioning system, or gps, and other satellitebased navigation systems, including backup capabilities in the event of a just disruption to gps. A recent study funded by the department of commerce found that gps has enabled more than 1. 4 trillion in economic benefits since 1983, and that a 30day loss of gps could cause 30 billion in economic harm and have serious safety of life implications. Spd 39 gives dot lead responsibility over the full range of civil uses of gps, and along with dot it makes dot coach of the National Space base position navigation and timing executive committee. Through this were working , closely with dhs and other federal departments and agencies to address policy and technical issues, including the security of resilience of gps receivers. In light of the critical importance of gps, dot has asked for submissions from technology vendors, interest in providing gps backup technologies, and we are now organizing field demonstrations of those technologies. Another way to protect gps service is realtime monitoring of satellite signals to ensure they meet the necessary performance standards, and we are providing funding to the air force to support that monitoring. And working closely with the Commerce Department, ntia and the fcc, dot conducted a gps adjacent band study to measure levels of tolerance and interference from adjacent band radiofrequency systems. The Study Results show we need strong, consistent policies to ensure rf protection for satellitebased navigation. Let me close by emphasizing that for the secretary and all of us at the department of transportation, our participation in supporting the objectives of National Space council is among our highest priorities. By coordinated the efforts of all the members of the Space Council, we can achieve tremendous benefits for the American People and our national economy. Thank you. Mr. Pence great, thank you very much. Great report, sir. Give the secretary our best. Great. And i can attest to the secretarys enthusiasm, and we are very, very grateful for the efforts. One last time before we go to National Security. We actually asked the deputy secretary of energy to be here. Of energy ist actually not a part of the National Space council but is doing so much important work in the space. We wanted, we wanted secretary perry and your team to be represented here, so to the deputy secretary, dan, maybe you could summarize your testimony, and then will move interNational Security. Give a round of applause for the department of energy. They have really been leaning in on this. Thank you, dan. [applause] thank you, mr. Vice president , for the invitation to share a few thoughts with the Space Council. Its a personal honor for me to be here with such a distinguished group of individuals who are continuing to work on americas resurgence on the next great frontier. Because this is my first participation with one of your a highs, my comments at level. I provided with each of you a summit with the departments historical contribution to the Space Program. I want to be clear, mr. Vice president , that the department sees space as a very important and Strategic Focus for our department. D. O. E. Is your partner in innovation, in exploration, and in excellence. Our predecessor organization of the Atomic Energy commission was a key collaborator during the Apollo Missions, and we are eager to join you in returning americans to the moon, establishing a Permanent Base there, and then developing the technologies that are needed to send us to mars and far beyond. Secretary perry likes to say that given the breadth of our efforts, d. O. E. Stands for the department of everything. And theres a lot of truth to that. Theres no question. D. O. E. s 17 National Laboratories discovered dark energy. We helped kickstart the development of the world wide , accelerated americas Ongoing Energy revolution and for todays conversation powered the spacecraft that go through other planets. I would argue doe also stands for the department of exploration. We are proud to have partnered with nasa and other members of the Space Council and other endeavors for almost 60 years, scientists at our National Laboratories have built the rtg, the radio isotopic generator mentioned by doctor droegemeier a few minutes ago. Those have powered the deep Space Missions like pioneer and voyager, pathfinder, the curiosity, and casino and new horizons. We have provided detectors and sensors for studying earth and space, and our user facilities engaged in a large range of space related research for modeling plasmas and testing materials for radiation hardness, to analyzing comet and asteroid samples. Last year we joined nasa, an event devoted to tough challenges here on earth and in space, and we collaborated on the crusty experiment which is a strange acronym kilowatt reactor , using sterling technology, but despite the funny acronym, under this project we demonstrated heat conversion concepts that will provide the design basis for efficient Power Systems on the surface of mars. The effort was so successful that in may it received the gears of government president s award for making a profound difference in the lives of American People. Today we are working with nasa on a number of major initiatives to enable Nuclear Power Space Exploration over the next decade, and these includes the mars 2020 rover and and these include powering the mars 2020 rover and developing the dragonfly which in the 2030s will explore saturns moon titan. We are exploring other frontiers which may be of importance to the Space Exploration. Those are xo scale computing and artificial intelligence. Our laboratories are home to many of the worlds festus supercomputers including four of the top ten and the worlds fastest, and we are working on developing three exoscale machines that will launch us into the next generation of computing power. Ai technologies at our National Laboratories are already being used for many applications from Cyber Security to better treatments for cancer to traumatic brain injury. We look forward to applying these capabilities to the many challenges that come with deep Space Exploration, but by working with our interagency partners, private industry and members of the space counsel, we can push the boundaries, we can overcome greater challenges, we can dream bigger and reach further. Im confident we will see more spacecraft exploring the great frontier, and they will be enabled by the department of energy, and they will be destined for greatness. It is our sincere desire to be of service to you. In your service to our nation. Thank you, mr. Vice president. [applause] thank you so much. We have our panel forward and i encourage members of the space counsel to take a look at the recommendations we will be certifying in the course of our meeting today. My duties will take me back to the white house with a departure in about 40 minutes. So we will work through that. If there are questions related to our recommendations we urge you to look into them. Moving to National Security we are honored to be joined on this fifth day on the job by general joe mcguire, the acting director of National Intelligence but he brings with him an extraordinary background of military service and service to the country. Join me in welcoming joe mcguire. Good to have you. [applause] members of the council, thank you for allowing me to update you on the threats we face in space where we are in the task you should buy the president representing the Intelligence Community and the department of defense to look for ways to increase our effectiveness in Space Operations. Everyone here this morning knows the us and our allies have vital interest in space including military, commercial and scientific. However, these interests are increasingly threatened as china and russia develop to deal destructive weapons placing us and allied Space Systems at risk. Some examples china has deployed a groundbased missile intended to target and destroy satellites in low earth orbit. Russia has a similar system in development that will likely be operational in the next few years. China is pursuing weapons capable of destroying satellites up to geosynchronous earth orbit. Russia has fielded a groundbased later weapon that can blind or damage our spacebased sensors. In addition china and russia have established a dedicated space force, both countries view the capability to attack Space Systems and services as part of a broader effort to deter or defeat an adversary in combat. In short the threat to us and allied Space Systems continues to grow unabated. Turning to the president s task, february 19th of this year the president signed space policy director floor which established the requirement for the space force, the directors also stated the secretary of defense and the director of National Intelligence shall create and enhance mechanisms for collaboration between the department of defense and the United States Intelligence Community. In order to increase unity of effort and effectiveness of our Space Operations. In response to this president ial directive the Intelligence Community and the department of defense leadership created a working Group Consistent of representatives from 14 organizations and the part of defense and Intelligence Community. This team generated over 50 recommendations how dod and the ic can increase collaboration and improve our Space Operations posture. The best of those recommendations are being concluded, the report presented to the president which is final coordination and review. I will summarize the highlights. For years, debate about how the nro, military space organizations can work. Early in this task we recognize the proposed establishment of Us Space Command provides us with the opportunity to determine the appropriate level of integration between the Intelligence Community and dod to assure effective Space Operations. Im pleased to tell you after months of analysis and deliberations the Intelligence Community and the department of defense of agreed to align Us Space Command and the nro into a new unified defense concept of operations with the National Defense sector. As part of Us Space Command, the National Defense center is a joint dod Intelligence Community organization and will become the center of gravity for defending our vital interests in space. For the first time it will be a unified structure that fully integrates Intelligence Community and see part of defense, Space Defense plans, authorities, and capabilities, to ensure seamless execution of Space Defense systems. Furthermore should conflict extend to space the nro will take direction from the commander of Us Space Command and execute defensive operations based on a jointly developed playbook and informed by a series of exercises. I want to commend Space Command and nro leadership for their thoughtful and innovative work is to develop this new approach and assure this committee and the American People that adversaries challenge us in space, they will face a truly unified National Security team. Thank you again, mr. Vice president and members of this committee for allowing me to update you on vital reforms which will increase our joint effectiveness and assure we remain safe in space. [applause] mr. Pence great start, asked her excellent report. Next we are going to go to the acting secretary of the air force, matt donovan and then i will ask general dunford to bring Closing Remarks before we move on to our panel but thank you, we are accustomed to the launch of the United States space force. It will be the sixth branch of our armed forces. Let me say to you and the team at the air force how grateful we are for the tremendous partnership you and secretary wilson have had in bringing this day about. Thank you, mr. Vice president. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you, mr. Vice president for chairing this meeting, your strong leadership has been a unifying voice in the National Discussion on space. It is an honor to recognize the department of defense for the meeting. Our nation needs the United States space force to guarantee our preeminence in the space domain. It must be a new service to unleash its full potential. Of the congressional defense authorizing conference for fiscal year 2020 National Defense authorization act, you need them to take the necessary steps to fully establish the United States space force as a separate and fully equal branch of the armed forces in the department of defense. The house and senate provisions addressing the administrations proposal differ in several ways. They agree on two important points, a new organization is required to retain american dominance in space and it will reside within the department of the air force. The key component is reforming title x of the United States code. This will provide the necessary Legal Authority for the space force to organize, train and equip ready forces for our war fighting combatant commanders. Without modifications to title x the current legislative provisions do not provide all the Necessary Authority to establish a separate service and sixth branch of the us armed forces. The department is fully engaged with the defense authorizing committee to ensure the final language explicitly includes the United States space force as an armed force with necessary authorities in title x and thereby codifying it alongside its Sister Services in this bedrock law. This new service will reside within the department of the air force, does not mean it is solely an air force effort. Each service has its own cadre of space experts with a keen sense of how space affects their unique domains and they should begin the opportunity to contribute to this important event in our history. To be truly effective the United States space force must integrate with larger National Security space efforts collaborating across the whole of government. We will do this by consolidating the dods finest space professional and uniting, the Common Service with a common mission. As part of this effort last spring the department of defense established space developed and agency using streamlined Acquisition Authority and focus on rapid development, space developed agency is poised to synchronize the development and fielding of new military space capabilities. The space developed agency recently held its first industry day as it seeks publicprivate partnerships to incorporate commercial innovation and technology into the future of National Defense space architecture. This agility and responsiveness will be hallmarks of the United States space force which is white is critical to transition space developed agency into the new service after it is established. The administration will stand up the Space Command, war fighting command responsible for military Space Operations, fully supported by the congress who unanimously confirgenera raymond, the Space Command will be charged with defending our critical space assets from the increasing threats posed by potential adversaries while providing crucial Space Operations to support military operations on land coming in the air and at sea. Ladies and gentlemen, now is an exciting time for americas future in space, the space force will be a 21stcentury service designed for the information age. We are committed to building a flat, agile and Rapid Organization that will be the pathfinder for modern military service. We will continue to work closely with congress to bring this historic establishment to reality in reasonable, responsible and most importantly effective manner. The department of defense is ready, the part of the air force is ready, and america is ready for the United States space force. We must act now to ensure we retain our technological and military advantage in the 21st century and beyond. Thank you very much, mister Vice President. Mr. Pence thank [applause] thank you for your leadership as acting secretary. For your tremendous collaboration on this historic endeavor. I want to amplify one point, and china and russia have established their own space forces in recent years and Donald Trumps vision and imperative they can have issue, grateful for your Strong Partnership. No one, no one to whom we are more grateful than the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. I have asked them to reflect on this broad topic and general dunford, thank you again for your active participation in the launch of the United States space force and for your tremendous leadership and joint chiefs, your recognize. Thank you, the Vice President , secretary donovans book at the space force. This initiative is a positive impact on growing the capabilities we are going, like secretary donovan, the focus a Single Service will bring to bear has a profound difference. And and when the Vice President as the Vice President mentioned in his open remarks, when the Vice President resides over the ceremony we will immediately assign 87 units under a single combatant commander. The step will put us on it have to maintain competitive advantage on as the president described it in this critical war fighting domain. When general raymond assumes command, he brings together capabilities that include missile warning, satellite operations, space control, and space support. Members of the council, the mr. Vice president direction is , clear, we understand it and we are moving out. Mr. Pence thank you very much. Thank you so much. [applause] i will ask of a panel to come forward. We will move quickly through the balance of the program he. The program. Members of the panel. Please make your way to the stage. Our first panel is rexjeveiden who will speak about the use of Nuclear Power in space but he is here also because hes a 17 year veteran of nasa and served as chief operating officer, great to have you here. Our second panel is doctor clive neil who will provide an overview of literary sources, lunar resources. He is professor of planetary geology at the university of notre dame in the great state of indiana. And thank you. Somebody said go irish out there. He has also helped train our current class of nasa astronauts. We are grateful that you are here. Dr. Mark will be speaking to us as world renowned leader in womens health. And advisor to nasa, hhs, office of science and technology, as we launch the Artemis Mission, as the administrator said, what is today a diverse core of astronauts we will send to the moon and mars, grateful to have doctor marks reflections hear about the Human Factors in spaceflight. And finally, rounding out the panel is dr. Elizabeth title, planetary scientist with Johns Hopkins will share space given innovation with Robotic Exploration efforts to participate in the Galileo Mission to jupiter, the casino the mission to saturn and i want to offer congratulations to you as the selection of the dragonfly mission, join me in welcoming this outstanding panel, this terrific group of americans. Thank you all. [applause] mr. Pence let me start with rex javaid javaiden. We will submit your remarks in their entirety for the record, we ask you to keep your remarks to three minutes or so so we can move through it quickly and get to some questions which is oftentimes more important at the National Space Council Meetings. You are recognized and thank you. Two. Thank you. I am deeply honored to speak today. I am here to talk about the application of Nuclear Power systems in space and the confluence of advanced technologies that were unable Nuclear Powered system to be a key capability of the nations robust space expiration program. As you well know, nasa has been using plutoniumbased Nuclear Batteries in space for decades to power such things as scientific spacecraft and autonomous rovers but my discussion today will focus on much higher power, compact Nuclear Reactors that can power entire spaceships, large vehicles and human space settlements. The company that i lead has a 6 decade history of supporting usbased declaration programs, designing and manufacturing Nuclear Reactors for military and civilian applications, we have manufactured and delivered over 300 such reactors. As it happens i also serve as Vice President said for 17 years at nasa, concluding my career as associate administrator overseeing the full portfolio of projects in deep spaceflight, exploration technology, and science. What i learned at nasa and what i have seen as bw xt is america has the Technological Capabilities right now to push the boundaries of human exploration at the moon and further on to mars. Many space expiration and exploration and operations problems require high density power be available at all times on call and there is a class of such problems where power is the preferred if not the only solution. Technology is rapidly evolving to make relatively low cost Nuclear Reactors that are not just alternatives to options but also the means to accomplish his things that were not possible before. For example, working with nasa on a Nuclear Thermal Propulsion system that will propel spacecraft from earth orbit to mars. The system has a number of advantages over other designs and contribute to significant shorter travel times and lower exposure to cosmic radiation for astronauts. Today there is no better option to send humans to mars and times to protect their health. Additionally the development of compact reactors for space creates collateral benefits for us National Security, Nuclear Energy is a compelling solution to offer secure power for remote military bases. We also envision highly compact reactors that could be used to asset protection, we are able to bring such technologies forward because of advanced manufacturing techniques progressing in the United States faster than ever. We are developing 3d printing capabilities to manufacture metal components that could improve the economic delivery timeline for Nuclear Reactors. In closing i would point out since the don of spaceflight we encounter the problems of power and propulsion, spacecraft must be propelled officially and efficiently and every system lifesupport, habitation, rovers, require electricity. Limitations in propulsion and power have curtailed Mission Scope scale speed and duration. If we were to fit fully objectives in Donald Trumps space policy directive to establish longterm presence on the moon, Nuclear Power is the most Important Technology to enable these national goals. Given the technological advances and nation renewed interest in space expiration there has never been a better time to employ Nuclear Systems in space. Thank you for your interest in this technology and i look forward to your questions. [applause] mr. Pence that is great, thank you. Great comments, but particularly provocative on Nuclear Power when we talk about longterm missions, not just to the moon but mars. Dr. Clive neil, lunar research, is recognized thank you again and thank you again for keeping to three minutes. I want to get to questions. Thank you again. I am probably going to blow this, but mr. Vice president , administer bridenstine, members of the Space Council, ladies and gentlemen, i am from the university of notre dame the Vice President has only case that from my northern indian indiana accident. I am deeply honored to be talking to you today about in situ resource utilization. The time is right to take a giant leap by using the moon to learn how to live off the land, thus enabling sustained human presence on earth while stimulating a new sector of our economy. As we look forward to the moon we need to learn from history. Apollo was a monumental achievement and last month we celebrated the 50th anniversary of apollo 11. However, apollo shows how not to conduct human Space Exploration because such a Program Based upon International Competition is not sustainable. This is demonstrated by the fact that 2019 also marks 47 years since the last human walked on the moon. In order to have an enduring am a sustainable, multidecade space expiration program two things are required. And the spirit of cooperation. We should choose to go to the moon in the spirit of cooperation. This will allow the buildup of assets on the lunar surface, to live and work productively off planet in preparation for the expiration of mars. Second, space expiration must deliver a return on taxpayer investment. And in an investment in the future of this country. The moon and the moon to mars program has been interpreted by some to be a stepping stone on the way to mars. And making the journeys to destinations beyond affordable and sustainable. This requires a permanent human presence on the moon that will create a demand for lunar resource products. What are the resources . They can be subdivided into those that can be used in situ and those for export. In situ resources include water ice and other resources. The regolith could be used for 3d printing of learner habitats and refined for oxygen, titanium, silicon, etc. Resources include rocket fuel, from lunar water, beaming of solar power back to earth, bringing back rare earth metals and helium3 which is a potential fuel for Nuclear Fusion yielding no toxic byproducts. China is interested in this. And in that discussion the term resource used in reserve is what he meant. Is meant. The resources is a geologic commodity that exists, that is a the best interest. A subgroup of a resource that is a known composition and can be extracted economically. The most immediate and vital issue is defining if resources are actually reserved and economically viable. Those assets are needed to map out the area, brittle vertical extent and composition and concentration of any resource. Prospecting is conducted in several in order to find the best places for infrastructure investment, thus geologic prospecting on the moon needs to be a campaign that cuts through nasas mission directives. The Artemis Program goes beyond camping trips focusing on increasingly longer human stays at one location leading to the establishment of a Permanent Lunar base, surface base of operations. A field station at the south pole by 2020 is the goal of this program. Having the capability of resource extraction before them will be vital. The fuel station will require local resources to sustain or redevelop and maintain it. The resources will allow humanity to survive and thrive on the moon and beyond. Based on the initial findings from the lunar workshop in july. Not knowing of the resources are reserved couple with the lack of market for products for such resources, preventing commercial mining involvement. Nasa can provide me needed data and create markets for resource products. Water is a resource that many localities in the solar system, water is the oil of the solar system in terms of fuel for interplanetary spacecraft using liquid oxygen and hydrogen engines. Development of capabilities means no new systems are required when we go to mars. In summary, bringing the moon into our economic sphere of influence, will benefit society on earth can create a sector of the economy and reinforce United States leadership in Space Exploration. I look forward to questions. [applause] mr. Pence very good, thank you so very much. Dr. Mark is recognized. Members of the National Space council and distinguished guests, think you for the invitation to speak to you today. Gender impact every aspect of our lives in space. It is more than spacesuits not fitting female astronauts. The impact from shoes and clothing we wear, Electronic Devices and the medications we take. Modifying appearances through gendered innovation will never work in any environment including space battle fields, and in our homes. The National Academy of medicine defines gender as a person who self representation as male or female based on social interaction and is based on and sex is based on ones genes. We know the environment can modify gene expression which is lled epigenetic, that is the composition, men and women adapt to space differently where even small differences significantly impact the quality and safety of life including astronaut work performance. Nasa anderative that commercial space partners address differences on how they plan and conduct missions, develop products, High Performance clothing including liquid cooling and ventilation garments, tools, hardware and machines and how they established extra vehicular activity for training protocols. It was recommended nasa fully evaluated the influence gender has on the physiological and psychological changes that occur during spaceflights. In response nasa launch two reviews assess the impact, and adaptation to space in 2002 and in 2012. Every system in the body changes in the microcosm of space. It has been observed that some male and female astronauts experience spaceflight associated neurological or syndrome are found in which there is visual impairment and increase cranial pressure. Interestingly the signs and symptoms are more severe in mail astronauts. And the inability to stand without fainting is more prevalent upon landing in female astronauts than their female in their male counterparts. Additionally, radiation is a major hazard for space travel. It has been recorded female subject to more susceptible to radiationinduced cancer than male subjects. And the exposure limits for radiation and then men astronauts. That will impact their ability to participate in longduration spaceflights. This is not about who is faster, better or smarter, just different. We have the capability to develop the tools and resources to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to live and work well on earth and in space. Most of us were influenced by the apollo program. And in the course is our lives. The Program Change the directions of our careers and the course of our lives. We need to ensure there will be an artemis affect. That the nexteve suits on the letter surface will be worn by women, not only will it fit her but also inspire the next generation of explorers. It is time to see the world through a gender sex lens. When we achieve this goal we are taking a major leap toward Mission Success for every one that will enhance Space Exploration and daily lives. Thank you for your time and attention today. [applause] mr. Pence thank you. Dr. Elizabeth turtle and we will go for questions for doctor go to questions. Members of the council and distinguished guests. I appreciate the chance to discuss nasas next steps in robotic planetary exploration. Science, technology and very human desire to explore and charted territories have driven innovation since time immemorial. This is demonstrated by nasas history of innovation for the purpose of exploration beyond our earth and beyond our solar system. There are many exploration innovations we can discuss given the recent selection of the next Frontier Mission and role as Principal Investigator and limited time i will focus on the example of the dragonfly mission to saturns moon titan. Our entire team is excited to be on a path to exploring and estrous terrestrial world with lakes, mountains, clouds and the rings with the space get derived and even rain with the space or ive from drones that have derived been beme life. It is the opportunity to work on projects like this that inspired so many of us to pursue careers in science and engineering in the first place. For the Johns Hopkins Physics Laboratory dragonflies the latest chapter in the story that began shortly after world war ii when on a mission led to the Defense Department the first picture of the earth from space was taken from a v2 rocket. The Defense Department in that first milestone to highlight synergies that are possible. Essential when it comes to space innovation. The Space Community has benefited from the investments made not only through sa but the National Science foundation, the department of defense and innovations from the private sector. Benefits go both ways. Space exploration investments have further education and technologies leveraged for the economy and security. Dragonfly is an example of the mission that involves multiple scientific and engineering disciplines. Working across boundary lines within and between Government Agencies and institutions, nasa centered industry and universities. As well as across international borders. The investigations dragonfly pursues will transform understanding of the chemical reactions that may have led to life on earth. Upon arrival in 2034, dragonfly is designed to take advantage of titans thick atmosphere which combines low gravity, ideal for flight. It takes 38 times less power to fly there than here on earth. Put another way, a human being would only need to fly above the surface of titan. Tanks to considerable recent development in drone technologies, dragonfly will be the first radioisotope vehicle to conduct exploration of another world. A critical point is dragonfly is a Novel Concept and architecture for ocean world exploration the design leverages prior Technology Investments and development in order to minimize cost and mitigate risk. Because of this, we frequently say dragonfly demonstrates the power of innovative applications of technology. It was especially appropriate the dragonfly was selected during the 50th anniversary of apollo 11. Along with this administrations public support of going to mars and back to the moon this historic commemoration has rekindled interest in space declaration across the country. Interest that will be stoked again when dragonfly landed on titan and begins transferring images and data from this alien world. Dragonfly provides a crucial link between the teams the that designed, built, and operated Previous Missions and the next generation of technologists who will be ready to take the next step in space innovation as we enter the middle decade of the 21st century. In closing, the interdisciplinary missions of dragonfly, bridging diverse scientific and technical fields exemplify the innovation that has been a part of nasas Robotic Exploration of the solar system and beyond and this way nasa develops Technological Capabilities, investigate new horizons and inspires the next generation, and a historic opportunity and i look forward to your questions. [applause] mr. Pence thank you, dr. Turtle. Thanks for your leadership and we can tell that we tapped the right team for dragonfly mission. Thank you very much for your insight and enthusiasm. I am going to go to several members of the panel, questions, with questions and we will start with administrator bridenstine. To those in attendance, before we will go to about 10 minutes before the hour. We will keep our questions very brief, our answers as brief as possible. I want to add if you want additional record of the meeting, that is made available publicly if you want to submit additional materials in writing, we will publish them in like manner. Mr. Administrator. Thank you, mr. Vice president. One thing i would like to note before i ask my question, doctor clive neil is our lunar resource expert on the panel. Also in the audience we have chris carberry, you have a moon guy and the mars guy and i will tell you a couple years ago you put those two in the same room and it was not going to be a pretty sight. Now we have this new direction, moon and mars. Now when they come and visit me, they come together which id never thought i would see, but it is a thrilling thing for our nation, the unity between these gentlemen. It is still not that pretty. I had a question for rex. We are talking something else. We are talking Nuclear Fission for propulsion. That is absolutely a game changer for what nasa is trying to achieve. Propulsion has not changed and you have a mass and you need to accelerate and when we use Nuclear Fission, you can heat hydrogen to levels that make it exceptionally fast so that mass is accelerated faster than we can otherwise accelerate it. That gives us opportunity to protect life when we talk about the radiation belts the travel dose when we travel between earth and mars. Can you share with us how much time do you think we could save in that travel between earth and mars if we had Nuclear Thermal Propulsion. Thank you. Nuclear thermal engines we talk about our twice as efficient as chemical engines and simpler for a variety of reasons. With the Nuclear Thermal Propulsion mission we anticipate getting a cruiser to mars in three or four months about half the time and you can see those economies and efficiencies for scientific exploration as well. Wax the next question is other applications, not just for reducing the radiation dose for humans flying through deep space but National Security implications. How do we maneuver with in low earth orbit or so we can move to various spots based on threats we heard about today. There are many applications that benefit not just human exploration and National Security. That is correct. We anticipate this Technology Used in a variety of National Security operations, off grid power and military bases, you cannot imagine using a compact High Temperature gas reactor to power a directed Energy Weapon using diesel fuel but that is not sustainable over a sustained battle. Could that be used to protect earth from an asteroid . I think you could envision that for planetary protection as well. It is possible to put high amounts of laser energy on an asteroid. It is a possible technology as whatever threat you are concerned about. Well. Could it be used to take debris out of orbit . It could be used to take debris out of orbit. People talk about using laser energy to change the trajectory of space debris and it is a possible application for that as well. Think, mr. Vice think, mr. Vict there is an amazing opportunity , here the United States of america should take advantage of. Mr. Pence thanks. Great. Great comments. Secretary of commerce wilbur ross for questions. Dr. Neil, what is the biggest challenge you face in training the current class of astronauts . The biggest challenge is educating them in the limited time we have for going to the moon, about the moon. Trying to make them understand about the environment, you dont know until you go there, i have never been, studied it a lot but i think the biggest challenge is having time with the astronauts to teach them about off world exercises and how they would maximize their time on the surface of the moon. Or mars. What do you see as the biggest challenge going from habitation of the moon to getting to mars . Again, it comes back to getting to mars. I think we can learn about living and working productively off planet on the moon and take those lessons to another hostile environment for human life. I think they will translate quite well. There will be nuanced differences but i still think the journey, from what we just heard, one way to mitigate some of those risks by going faster but that journey is going to be the issue. We have a laboratory in our backyard, we need to make good use of it not only for economic benefit, but also training to go beyond their. Beyond there. It is enough for a laboratory that will prepare humans very well for exploring destinations beyond the moon. Thank you. Mr. Pence next we go to the under secretary of state for Economic Growth and energy and environment, you are recognized. Thank you. Question for you because you spent so much time in space diplomacy over your career and as we develop and operationalize our Global Economic security strategy, the space industry is a priority. How does the United States maintain its leadership position and collaborate with our allies and their private sector partners and safeguard our ip and know how through global trusted frameworks and some things you worked on over the years . Absolutely. There is so much to be gained from these partnerships and at the same time to balance that with sharing of information. That is an area we take very seriously in these International Partnerships and something we need to coordinate very carefully as we move forward. So many of these International Missions demonstrated the potential of those collaborations is so valuable, it is something that is worth investing the effort in. Thank you. Mr. Pence thank you. Let me let the chairman asked the final question. Women are an indispensable part of the Astronaut Corps at nasa and you have been a great advisor. You spoke today about the challenges, differences among the sexes, make opportunities for one versus the other. We set the objective to have women and men leading america back in human Space Exploration, the first woman in the next man on the moon will be american and we will send men and women to mars. You have spoken about the differences. Are there also, can you give us some examples of benefits as well of having men and women leading in Space Exploration, what it means to the signs and the science expanding American Leadership and capabilities. Thank you, mr. Vice president for your question. It comes down to inclusion. The divers to find work forces have optimal team performance. It takes a little bit of effort up front to make sure people are communicating and sharing knowledge but we see improvement at the end of the day. What we have seen is we will have a mixed crew, american women are taxpayers, they support this program and need to be represented. The lessons we learned from the Space Program have extraordinary value for how we live our lives on earth. It is time for nasa as well as all agencies and organizations to ensure their programs and policies have a focus on Human Systems integration. Using a gendersix lens. Wonderfullyt is well said. It is the reality at nasa on the Advisory Group, some extra nearly distinguished female astronauts, hundreds of hours in Space Exploration. I want to thank you for your contributions, to understanding we have opportunities to celebrate that diversity. It is imperative if i hear you right then nasa and our private sector partners continue to lean in, clear eyed, with unique differences and challenges men and women face in Space Exploration, we will do just that. I want to thank this panel, this is a Remarkable Group of panelists. With that, time is a little scarce so i trust members of National Space council reviewed the recommendations that have been presented to meet the president s objective on human Space Exploration and encouraging and promoting privatesector innovation and those looking on in the public will note these include specific timelines for reforms. Acquisition rules, management and Industrial Base issues, they create opportunities for international and commercial partnerships. I recommend the publics attention, the Public Record you will find that we are setting specific timelines for the administrator in the next 60 days to the designation of an office, submission of a plan for sustainable lunar surface exploration and developed of crew to do the missions to mars. The next Council Meeting reported on the technologies to implement sustainable lunar surface exploration, there are very specific goals for nasa. And we thank them for moving out on those directives, recommending nasa facilitate the developed of commercial and Public Private successors to the interNational Space station, set a timeline for the department of commerce on authorization of commercial Space Operations not currently regulated by any other federal agency. And since the interNational Space station the staff will present the Council Members a moon to Mars Development strategy. One of my take aways today is doctor clive neils term prospector to describe activities on the lunar surface on mars. It brings to mind deals west and the old west and just exactly how we are to be thinking and ensuring developing resources of space. And giving taxpayers a return on investment. We will the calling for a moon to mars develop a strategy that will take in the Technological Capabilities that we have and also the director will be presenting the National Space council with a plan to modernize the workforce. With that, all those in favor of endorsing these recommendations by the National Space council signify by saying aye. And a post, say nay. Ayes have it. The recommendations will be forwarded by the unanimous decision of the National Space council and discussing these recommendations with the president later today and looking forward to agencies at the president s direction. With that let me simply close by , saying thank you to members of the National Space council and members of our User Advisory Group and invite the crowd in thanking all these incredible americans for American Leadership in space. Great job. [applause] i want to thank doctor clive neil, doctor elizabeth turtle, for tremendous contribution to this discussion today and your testimony today and your written testimony continue to inform our work so join me for thinking the panel one more time. [applause] america is leading in space once again. Thanks to the vision and leadership of donald trump, we have redoubled our commitment to lead on behalf of human exploration, nasa at the tip of the spear to engage our private sector partners to work in new and renewed ways with the American People, to advance American Leadership and with the president s direction as commanderinchief we are reorganizing our commitment to provide for the common defense in developing United States space force, u. S. Space command and develop the technologies to protect this nation going forward. I know, looking out at this crowd, those looking on, there is tremendous enthusiasm for Donald Trumps leadership in space but i ask only today that those of you who share this passion for renewed American Leadership in space go tell the story. It is exciting to be here at the smithsonian. We have made a point, this being the sixth meeting of the National Space council, to travel. Our objective is to help relight the imagination of the American People for the Space Program. 50 years is a long time. I know what i am talking about. Our determination, our determination is to capture the imagination of the American People. Of men and women and boys and girls all across this country and inspire the world. I encourage each and every one of you and maybe it will be assisted before you leave here today if you take a long stroll through this historic place. If you look at these tremendous remnants of American Leadership in space. I want to challenge each and every one of you, interesting Industry Leaders that are here, looking on, and public servants, it is go tell the story. Go tell the story of American Leadership in space, told the story not just to those who represent you in washington dc to leaders at every level,ell the story in your communities, your state and all across this nation. I know with your energetic support with Donald Trumps leadership and vision, this Extraordinary Team he has assembled the work of nasa and with gods help america will lead mankind into the vast expanse of space. Thank you very much, god bless. [applause] [indistinct conversations] [indistinct conversations] [indistinct conversations] coming up wednesday, the Hudson Institute hosts and discussion between of tensions between the u. S. And iran. At 2 00 p. M. , President Trump is in kentucky for remarks at the [inaudible] convention. Maritimehears from administrator mark busby. From thewill hear department of Homeland Security at 9 00 a. M. President trump and the romanian president met in the oval office to discuss a wide range of topics including energy and military cooperation. President trump took questions about the possibility of a recession, trade with china, and israels travel ban. This is 40 minutes